This invention is a modification to a commercial quality can opener of the type that provides for rotating a can on a horizontal support with a cutting blade to effect cutting of the can top. These can openers operate when fixedly attached with a mounting bracket to the side of a table. Cans are fed to the cutting blades by toothed feed wheels or rotors arranged so that actuation of the wheels or rotors will turn the can with the top of the can in contact with the cutting blade. The rotor is essentially perpendicular to the blade, unlike the standard household can opener where the blade and rotor are essentially parallel. These can openers have a turning handle or hand crank which performs two functions. The handle, when turned in a horizontal plane to the can, causes the rotor to feed the can surface to the cutting blade. This handle may also be pivoted in a vertical plane from a point at the top of the can opener post to engage the cutting blade with the can surface. Examples of this type of can opener are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,534,932; 1,713,823 and 2,508,106. In each of these patents, the can opener comes equipped with a long post by which a bracket similar to a vise holds the can opener to the side of a table. The present invention dispenses with the need for a table for mounting.
Two problems with these prior art can openers were found when they were used with the flat, rectangular, one-half steam table size cans the military recently adopted for use in field locations. Although the prior art can opener requires essentially permanent installation to a table, a table capable of holding the bracket is often not available. Therefore, it would be desirable to be able to operate a can opener apart from any table. In addition, it was found that the cans, which have a 3/4-inch thick lip around the periphery of the top of the can, have a tendency for the blade to lift up and out of the can during the opening process as the feed wheel turns. This invention involves the solution found to these problems.